Fish Heads and Stricken Hearts
by roisaber
Summary: House Lunitaria of Silvermoon is on its last legs, and Lady Xenosa endures as its last aristocratic member. Driven into near-penury, Xenosa turns to mercenary work to try to provide for herself and her household, but she soon discovers that choreographed swordfights, romances, and fairy tales aren't the same thing as actual combat.


"Lady Xenosa, I apologize for disturbing you, but…"

The blood elf woman, just into her age of majority, looked up from her meager breakfast.

"What is it, Hylarion?"

Her butler took a deep breath, before looking resolutely into her glittering emerald eyes.

"I'm afraid our cup runneth dry, Lady Xenosa. We lack more than a handful of copper."

"I see."

Her voice was steady, but her heart was thundering in her chest. After the deaths of her parents and beloved uncle, their once-great house had been reduced to Hylarion, the butler, Lukas, the itinerant stableboy, and Sheeba, her handmaid. The four of them stuck together as family in a world turning increasingly cold - and fell.

"Lukas pulled in five copper all last week. That's not enough for food, let alone the House's other expenses," Hylarion went on. "If something isn't done about this soon, I fear that House Lunitaria may soon be no more."

Xenosa looked up, and spoke with a voice that was gentle but firm.

"I won't allow that to happen," she vowed. "We will be a Great House again one day, even if it takes a millennium. What do you advise?"

"Under normal circumstances, being the Lady of a House is a fulltime job and then some. However, these are not normal circumstances. I have seen you thumbing through books on the great exploits of our people, and I've seen the melancholy longing with which you've gazed out of your bedroom window towards the distant horizon. Perhaps you should give in to your desire, and take up a few small adventures around the capital. I pray I haven't overstepped my bounds…"

"No, of course not, Hylarion. Perhaps you are right." It was Xenosa's turn to sigh. "However, I've never had the courage to strike out upon my own. Maybe the truth is that I've been waiting for my Knight in Shining Armor to save me for all these years, just like in all those stories. I guess that isn't going to happen."

"Of course, any of us would be more than happy to accompany you, milady," Hylarion tried to interject.

"No. That will not prove necessary. Maintaining this House is my responsibility, but maintaining _this_ house is yours," Xenosa responded with a cunning smile.

Without finishing her meal, Xenosa stood up from the table and pushed back her chair. In truth, she was secretly excited to finally be given permission from her trusted friend and elder. Xenosa might be the rightful Lady of House Lunitaria, but the steadfast Hylarion was its heart, brain, and conscience. After the death of her uncle Hylarion raised her almost singlehandedly. An intellectually adroit man, Hylarion managed to guide her into adulthood without usurping her authority, and praise – or punish – her as necessary without ever displaying a hint of lèse majesté. Lady Xenosa respected him immensely and almost always followed his advice.

Of course, there was more than just Hylarion's advice threading through her mind. She spent many of her days reading books about grand adventures in House Lunitaria's library, with the sun reaching through the high windows to caress her body with buttery warmth as she thumbed from one musky page to the next. Her mind was full of lion-tamers and dragon-slayers, and the thought that she might one day count herself among them made her heart thunder in her chest. The excitement made her dizzy. Xenosa climbed the mahogany steps and followed the well-worn corridors of her house to her personal chambers, and she rang the silver bell that called for the attention of her handmaiden, Sheeba.

The pretty blood elf girl, only a little younger than herself, materialized almost immediately.

"What's up, Xeni?"

Xenosa swallowed a smile. Sheeba had been a street urchin before being hired on by House Lunitaria, and she'd taken to formal manners like a duck to an oil slick.

"I'm going to try to earn some money, as if I weren't a Lady. What's your advice on what I should wear?"

Sheeba looked aghast. "Milady, we'll find a way to make do, there's certainly no need to sell your body for –"

This time Xenosa couldn't stop herself from giggling, and she blushed fiercely at her handmaid's misunderstanding.

"No, it's nothing like that!" she gasped when she finally recovered her breath. "I just intended to look for some quests within my capabilities. I fear that if something isn't done, House Lunitaria will be no more."

Sheeba absentmindedly grabbed a pin and put it in her mouth, then took a step back and regarded Xenosa critically. The woman carried herself with regal bearing, and it would be difficult to mistake her for a run-of-the-mill rogue of the sort who did the mercenary work needed to keep the city of Silvermoon running harmoniously. The Lady had long blonde hair, sharp green eyes, and she was a little taller than average, though not by much. Xenosa's small breasts supported just enough cleavage to be interesting if her outfit was cut right, and Sheeba had always been attracted to her mistress, though she'd never admit as much out loud.

Instead, she said, "I don't know, Xeni. All your outfits are either formal wear or nightclothes. Actually, if you really want to look like anything but an out-of-place Countess with a muddy petticoat, you should probably wear something of mine…"

"I'd really appreciate that," Xenosa answered with a smile.

"Ow!" Sheeba was so distracted that she accidentally stabbed her gum with the pin. "Okay, get undressed and I'll be back in a minute."

Xenosa smiled as the other girl left the room, shutting the door behind her. Sheeba was incorrigible. Naturally, it was her job as a handmaid to dress and undress her Lady, but careful explanations usually fell on deaf ears when it came to her personal servant. Still, Sheeba was talented with a needle and thread, she managed to keep the house from being completely overrun by silverfish, and most importantly of all, she was unquestioningly loyal to House Lunitaria. Lady Xenosa wouldn't trade her for a dozen stiff-necked graduates of Sorlaa's FinishingAcademy. Xenosa quickly stripped naked, unsure of what to expect from traveler's undergarments. Sheeba soon returned with an armful of clothes.

"Hokay," the girl instructed. "Lift your right leg."

Xenosa obediently followed Sheeba's orders while the girl slipped a thin bit of cloth between her legs. She looked down at it curiously.

"What is this thing?"

Sheeba tried not to get distracted by the floral scent of her mistress' womanhood.

"They're panties. Much better than a petticoat or a teddie when it comes to mobility. They'll keep you from chafing while still allowing you a free range of movement with your legs."

Xenosa nodded, and pondered the sensation as Sheeba situated them over her crotch.

"They are…" she searched for a word. "Snug."

"You'll stop noticing them in a minute. Okay, now for your skirt."

Sheeba helped her climb into a crimson skirt than hung halfway down her thighs, which had slits up the sides. Xenosa, for her part, felt very nearly naked and certainly immodest.

"People really wear things like this?" she asked her handmaid.

"Sure. It's not about being modest or immodest; it's about having the most mobility in battle. Skirts like this one will flow over your legs like water if you have to run or kick. Don't be surprised if you get a few stares from boys while you're in town, though," Sheeba admitted with a cough.

"It seems heavier than it should be."

"It's reinforced with woven leather threads. It'll act as armor strong enough to turn a wolf's fangs."

Xenosa nodded. Sheeba pulled a similarly reinforced shirt over her head, this one crimson with silver metal plates over a few key areas, especially right over her heart. Next, she arrayed her mistress with a heavy leather cloak pinned together with a gold and ruby broach. Lastly, Xenosa climbed into a pair of leather boots, additionally armored with steel studs. Sheeba reviewed her handiwork critically.

"How do I look?" Lady Xenosa asked coquettishly.

Sheeba was careful with her answer. "As ready for the bar as battle, milady."

Xenosa laughed.

"Thank you for your consideration."

There was a brief pause between the two women.

"Lady Xenosa, are you really sure you want to go through with this? I know that you've been through extensive training in martial arts – Hell, you've even kicked my ass a few times – but… this is the real thing. This isn't the stylized combat of the gym; those mercenaries fight real battles of life and death."

"I'll be fine." Xenosa smirked coyly at her friend and handmaiden. "I promise I won't pick on anything my own size."

"I…"

Suddenly, Sheeba threw her arms around Xenosa and hugged her tightly. "You'd better not let anything happen to you or I swear I'll make you pay!"

"I promise I'll be home in time for dinner," Xenosa replied, returning the hug.

Hylarion was waiting for her outside her room. He held a satin pillow upon which sat her House's sword, the rapier Arianrhod.

"Milady, I took the liberty of retrieving your father's rapier from its resting place in the catacomb. I am certain he would have wanted you to have it."

"Thank you, Hylarion." Lady Xenosa nodded and took the blade of silvery metal from the pillow.

With a few deft motions, she tested its heft. It was far better balanced than her little training rapiers, and it thrummed through the air like a hummingbird as she swept. Hylarion and Sheeba looked on approvingly.

"Don't forget your training," Hylarion advised. "But don't overmuch rely on it, either. In the heat of combat your rapier must be your blade and your shield. Don't perform merely the stylized maneuvers of the gymnasium, watch your enemy closely and react to his movements. It's not a formal competition, it is a battle."

"I'll be _fine_, Hylarion, I promise. I'll be home in time for dinner with a purse full of coins."

"I have the utmost confidence in you, milady," Hylarion replied with a curt nod.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Sheeba chimed in.

Xenosa shook her head. "Don't worry about me! I'm not going to go after Anachranos."

With that, Xenosa sheathed her sword and made her way downstairs. Sheeba and Hylarion watched her go through the front door.

"She'll be fine, won't she?" Sheeba asked.

"I've rarely met such a naturally talented rapier artist," Hylarion answered. "I never would have let her go if I suspected she would be in danger. Besides, it would do her some good to see some of the cold truths that lie behind the mellifluous words of her stories. I don't think she's ever seen more than a pinprick of blood in her entire life. Better that she wield death with her own arm than go on fantasizing about it."

Xenosa made her way through the streets of Silvermoon, her pulse pounding. She'd been born in the blood elf capital and she'd never stepped outside it once in her entire life, and now, she was determined to find a quest to earn some money for her House and prove herself as a born adventurer and not just taken up in idle fantasies. True to Sheeba's word, more than a few male elves gawked at her in her outfit, and she tried and failed to hide a blush. The city was bustling in the mid-morning hours. Salaried civil servants made their way to the Court of the Sun, and vendors loudly hawked beef, chicken, and mutton from their stalls. The city smelled of blooming flowers and cookfires, and it made Xenosa smile to be a part of it.

She wandered idly through the streets, but let them bear her closer and closer to The Shepherd's Gate. The crowds slowly trickled to a small group of merchants, couriers, and adventurers. A half dozen guards watched over the travelers, watching for trouble but stopping short of asking for transit papers or royal permits.

As soon as Lady Xenosa walked through the gates, she paused where she stood and took a deep breath of the air of the outside world. The Eversong Woods smelled just like home, and the sap of the trees mingled with the smoke from the commerce of the city to make a combined scent of sentience and the natural world alike. A merchant carrying a heavy backpack almost bumped into her, and he muttered something about inobservant locals before stepping around her and carrying onward. Without a clear goal or direction, Xenosa continued along the path, looking for someone who looked like they were in need of a mercenary.

For a couple hours, she just followed the path. She decided to head west, following behind a band of merchants headed to Sunsail Anchorage. Loud bells jingled on the side of their cart, and she quickly surmised it was to warn wild beasts of their coming, to scare off those who only attacked when cornered or when with cub.

After a time, the trail grew darker, and a sensation of grimness set into Xenosa's heart. Mists rose out of brackish swamps, and periodically towers full of grim-faced Rangers guarded the trail with loaded crossbows. She wanted to turn back, or to find a task closer to home, but she didn't dare turn back from the caravan of merchants and their armed guards. In spite of the fact it was noon in late spring, the air grew chilly, and she pulled her leather cloak around herself more tightly. This must be the blighted scar that tore across the land, leaving destruction and undeath in its wake.

In spite of her growing terror, they made it through the blighted region without incident. Xenosa learned from talking with the merchants that it was commonplace for trainee blood elf warriors to go into the waste and massacre as many of the undead as they could catch, and that made her feel a little better about her return trip. She'd been learning the intricacies of armed and unarmed combat from Hylarion for years, and she was confident that she'd be able to perform just as well against the undead as any cocky youngling. They came to a crossroads and the merchants bid her farewell and good luck, and told her that efforts were being made to retake the TranquilShore, and that she might earn good money continuing onward just a little longer. Sure enough, there was a blood elf manning a small camp just a little further down the road. He had a sign hanging from one tree that read, "Hathvelion's Stall: Adventurers Wanted." As soon as she got within earshot, he called out his pitch to her.

"Greetings, Scout. Take a look toward the shore; what do you see? That's right, our beach... our TranquilShore, has been infested with the malignancy known as the murloc."

She blinked. It somehow sounded like he'd repeated this hundreds of thousands of times.

"This blight will not stand!"

Lady Xenosa Lunitaria murmured, "No indeed…"

"I have a task for you. If you feel that you're up to it, I would have their heads! Let us see if we can put a dent in their numbers so large that, if they have any sense at all, they will return to the murky depths from which they sprang!"

"Their…" Xenosa was aghast. "You want their _heads_?"

The other elf looked at her strangely. "Aye."

"_Just_ their heads?"

"It'll terrify the lot of them right back into the sea," the man insisted with an enthusiasm she didn't share. "Cut'em off and let their bodies lay."

"Could I maybe just… bring back their whole bodies?" Xenosa asked hopefully.

The other elf looked down on her, and his countenance softened.

"Is this your first quest?" he asked gently.

Xenosa bit her lip and nodded.

"Look, I need their heads and just their heads, so as they can see what you did to'em. Still…" he rummaged inside his camp pack and handed her a bone saw and a sack. "These tools should make it a little easier for you. Bring me back eight of their heads and I'll give you three silver and fifty copper for your trouble."

Xenosa tried to do some quick math in her head and failed. She'd never actually _been_ grocery shopping before; that was Hylarion's job. All she could do was hope that would be enough for a few days' maintenance of fading House Lunitaria.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said, conscious that the day had already broken into afternoon and it was a long walk back to Silvermoon.

"Head down to the shore," Hathvelion advised. "You'll find plenty enough to fill this quest!"

Nervously, Xenosa threaded her way down the hillock that led to the sea. Sure enough, the shore was almost overrun with fish-like, amphibious beings standing on their hind legs. She drew the Arianrhod and tested its heft one last time. Sure enough, it was the best-balanced sword she'd ever held in her life. She chose the nearest creature and made her way towards it, slowly and deliberately. It watched her with blank, unblinking eyes.

"Have at you!" Xenosa cried, suddenly lunging at the thing, point first.

Moving faster than she would have guessed for such an ungainly creature, it sidestepped her piercing strike and tried to flank her. Despite its unexpected alacrity, the trained blood elf was still faster; she turned on her heel and slashed with her rapier, drawing a thin wound that leaked green blood from its unguarded face. The morloc shrieked and jumped backwards, clutching its wound. Xenosa didn't hesitate. Before it could regain its footing she darted forward, plunging the tip of the rapier into its heart.

The little creature fell forward, and green blood bubbled out of the injury. Lady Xenosa watched in rapt horror as it gurgled on the sandy beach, writhing in its own ichor. It thrashed for a few seconds, and then with a final, sickening rasp, it finally fell silent. The blood elf stood over the unfortunate creature, looking downward with a cinch in her heart.

"What have I _done_?" she quietly asked, looking at the dead thing at her feet.

A few of the other murlocs looked on from a distance, wary and mournful.

The corpse didn't answer her. The fight had ended so quickly that Xenosa hadn't had time to think about needs, ethics, or what blame the creature may have earned during its life. But as she looked down at the thing, lying in a pool of its own sticky green blood, she found herself shaken to the core. It wasn't like this in all her books. In her books, the hero bravely slew hideous monsters for the good of his village, putting himself in mortal danger so that others might live. This creature had been all but helpless against her. She looked down at its corpse and felt a chill as she remembered the rest of her instructions.

Xenosa's hand shook as she took the bone saw out of the sack Hathvelion gave her. She looked closely at its serrated blades, and with a hardening lump in her belly she realized it was still flecked with dried green blood. Unable to stop herself, she gasped out loud. Is this what it really meant – to fight?

Hylarion's words echoed in her head. _It's not a formal competition, it's a battle_.

Lady Xenosa had known that, of course.

She didn't know it would be like this.

Suppressing a gag, she made a rapid decision. She was already stained with its blood; a small rivulet leaked down the shaft of her rapier and trickled onto her hand. She put her rapier aside and bent down next to the corpse. With a surge of determination, she took its head in her hand. Its skin felt cool and knotted against hers, and even though her hand was clammy with sweat and self-loathing, she could still feel the morloc's dead flesh leeching warmth through her fingers. With a sudden, agonized cry, she slashed open the creature's throat with her bone saw. Of course, it didn't cut all the way through – she would have to saw. She could feel the teeth of the blade chewing up flesh as she moved it back and forth, and she could feel the resistance given by the muscle of its windpipe and throat as she forced the saw through its tissue. Blood welled out of the wound and got all over her hand, and arm, and boots, and Xenosa started chanting a song from her childhood to steady herself against the horror. When the blade hit bone, she had to struggle to saw it all the way through. With a final, horrified gasp she finally sawed through the skin of the other side, having completely decapitated the creature.

Without another glance she threw the head into Hathvelion's sack. Blood stuck to her boots and glued beach sand to the black leather covering her feet. She was covered in sweat and it dripped down her hair and into her face, half-blinding her. Xenosa was shaken by the horror of what she'd done, and the horror that still remained to do.

"I have to provide for my House," she chanted to herself with a singsong voice. "I have to provide for my House. I have to provide for my House."

There was no help for it; she had to finish her quest. With a battlecry that sounded more like a shriek of agony, she charged the nearest morloc. It stood its ground and met her on its feet, but Xenosa's aim was true and she managed to push her rapier deep into its throat. Pressurized blood spurted out of the wound, and sprayed down the front of her shirt. She could feel a little of the green fluid leaking down between her breasts. Gasping with horror, she stabbed it again and again and again, continuing her assault long after the creature was dead. She couldn't stop sobbing as she cut off the second creature's head.

The road to Silvermoon seemed even longer going back. With each step, the full purse clinked at her hip, and the coins within scraped against one another with a sound like chimes. It was a sound Xenosa normally would find comforting, but now, it only reminded her of the unmitigated horror of what she'd done. Even if the creatures had been unambiguously evil and a certain threat, the sound of their gurgles and the sight of blood welling up out of their wounds still would have been enough to crowd her sleep with nightmares. Going back towards the city, she linked up with a chatty courier who'd never seen the Capital before and he went on and on with questions about what life there was like. Xenosa ignored him, offering monosyllabic responses to his increasingly dejected inquiries.

"Xeni!" Sheeba greeted her with a shout from the second-story window as soon as the Lady came into view.

She must have been watching the road all afternoon, but Xenosa couldn't even muster a smile. Hylarion opened the front door for her before she even knocked. He looked her over with a mixture of coldness, compassion, and pity.

"I trust by your appearance your quest was successful, milady?" he asked with an unreadable tone.

Wordlessly, Xenosa dropped the sack of coins into his hand. He did some rapid-fire calculations.

"This is enough to keep us in meat and cheese for a month, Lady Xenosa, and handle our other expenses aside. I congratulate you on your success."

"Xeni! Ugh, you smell like fish!"

Xenosa finally looked up at Sheeba with dead eyes.

"Draw me a bath at once, you impertinent girl," she commanded icily. "Hylarion, bring my dinner to my chambers. I will eat it _alone_."


End file.
